http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Kate---Spain-2008/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Kate Spain 2008 en-us Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:00:51 +0000 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:00:51 +0000 Well Im down to the last few days... and are they ever magical I am staying in an amazing hotel in Valencia. The beach is beautiful and the city is amazing. I left from Salamanca on Thursday afternoon. I literally ran from class to my piso to pick up luggage to the train station. I made it with about 15 minutes to spare which is more than I can say for a friend of mine that missed the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Valencian-Community/Valencia/blog-307922.html Hello allThis week has been a fun week. Certainly filled to the brim with moments of feeling ready to return to the USA but nonetheless a good time. Im finally reaching that full immersion point. Im not sure exactly how to explain it but its almost like it takes so long to get to where you forget youre in a different place. I walk among the streets now and it doesnt occur to me that http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Castile-Leon/Salamanca/blog-305077.html Hello allWell I made it through exam week It was a rough go... and Im really glad to have that done for a few days. I have one exam this coming week and then three the following week. Before you know it Ill be heading back to the states I dont have much news to report because the week was so full of classes and studying. However Ive been enjoying Salamanca a bit the last couple days http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Castile-Leon/Salamanca/blog-302218.html After the nice morning on the beach in San Sebastian and enjoying some solitude there I went back to the hostel and woke up my friends. We headed out shortly after that toward Bilbao which was on our way home to Salamanca. We stopped there for one major attraction... the Guggenheim. This modern art museum was built in the 20th century and is known as the most vanguardistaarchitecture of its http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Basque-Country/Bilbao/blog-299757.html After the plaza de toros action and a small party with breakfast we headed out of town to the Basque Country coast of San Sebastian. This drive was even more beautiful than the previous one I would absolutely go back if anything just for the drive through the countryside. We arrived into San Sebastian and it was raining quite a bit. So we checked into a hostel and found a short nap waitin http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Basque-Country/San-Sebastian/blog-299753.html WOWWhat an adventure in Pamplona A group of us 9 total went to the encierro... AKA the running of the bulls. No amount of study knowledge understanding of the culture etc. could have adequately prepared me for the experience. It was absolutely amazing... something I think that every person should see at some point in their life. We left Salamanca on Friday afternoon as soon as classes http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-299738.html I just wanted to post a quick blog about Rafamania If I thought the EuroCup was a crazy spectacle in Spain... well I guess I had yet to see a 5 hour tennis match in a college town What a fun night The people are crazy about Rafa Once again there was a big screen TV out in the plaza mayor and crowds of people watching and cheering. Who knew they would do that for tennis I chose http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Castile-Leon/Salamanca/blog-297051.html Well I made it through week one. It was a pretty stressful time full of adjustments and flexibility on the part of everyone The biggest news I have to report at this point is that we reserved a rental car to go to Pamplona next weekend. Im going to see the Running of the Bulls. Mom dont worry Im not going to actually run... But how AMAZING to be there We will leave next Friday and re http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Castile-Leon/Salamanca/blog-295606.html Wow... has it been an interesting few days Where did I leave off I left from Granada taking the 3 hour bus ride to Sevilla. Upon arriving to Sevilla I made it into the Alcazar just in time before closing hours... I think the guard was really annoyed but the American blue eyes might have helped for the first time this trip The Alcazar was amazing. Yet again I was struck by the i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Castile-Leon/Salamanca/blog-294815.html Yesterday I managed to visit two of the most major tourist attractions of southern Spain. First in Cordoba I spent time at la Mezquita the third largest mosque in the world the oldest building in daytoday use in Europe The construction of the building began in 786 and was finished in the 16th century. It was initially built as a mosque however three additions later it became a Christi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/Granada/blog-292723.html The river was absolutely amazing The water was so cold and it really helped calm the afternoon heat a bit. It was just beautiful being in the countryside seeing the mountainsLast night was pretty fun. After I got back from the river and there were people headed up to a little bar around the corner to watch the soccer game. Madrid won and their now in the final euro cup game People were http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/C-rdoba/blog-292255.html Well my plans changed just a bit today... I spent the morning at the alcazar de los reyes cristianos which is a massive castle building of islamic architecture but was designed and built by christians Ive included a picture of the building. The entire city of Cordoba is a mixture of arab christian and jewish heritage. I think there is much to learn from this combination. I had planned t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/C-rdoba/blog-292010.html Well the arabic influence is stronger than I had anticipated in Andalucia. The buildings are amazing... it doesnt feel anything like what I know of Spainhere... but it is still very beautifulThe sky is so impressive. I did not see a cloud all day long. NOT ONE The sun just went down its 1130pm and the stars are amazing. Nothing like a beautiful nights sky from the roof of a buildin http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/C-rdoba/blog-291719.html hello everyoneAfter leaving the hostel this morning I walked the entire way to the train station to drop my luggage. I knew that it was going to be a long walk but it was a nice opportunity to see the city. The green spaces in Madrid are beautiful. The train station was an interesting experience. I stood in a line for about 45 minutes waiting to purchase my ticket. I ended up buying a retu http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/C-rdoba/blog-291645.html Yesterday was a long day. Good... but long After my last blog I met up with that professor guy for dinner. We found a neat authentic Spain restaurant near one of the main plazas in Madrid. We enjoyed a wonderful meal full of good bread and excellent pasta. At the end of the meal the server brought us a dessert on the house that was a mandarin orange frozen drink with some kind of liqu http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/District-of-Madrid/Madrid/blog-291459.html I made it here in one piece On the flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam I had a tough time settling in. While I was emotionally exhausted after having to leave my family Zoie... a large part of me was restless with thoughts of the adventure ahead. Overall the flight went well. Then there was a bit of a delay in Amsterdam because three people didnt show up for the flight and they had to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/District-of-Madrid/Madrid/blog-291262.html In just four hours I'll be heading to the airport. It will be an 8 hour 20 minute journey to Amsterdam a 2 hour 30 minute layover and then a second flight of 2 hours 35 minutes to Madrid. When I finally arrive it will be Tuesday around 4pm Spanish time. Crazy I plan to stay in Madrid for the evening at a hostel on the Gran Va one of the neatest streets in the capital city. When I http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Minnesota/Minneapolis/blog-290848.html